Whitsunday: A name to prize

THE man who is proposing changes to the name Whitsunday says he's not out to destroy the iconic brand.

Neil Francey, who made an application to the Department of Environment and Resource Management to discontinue the township name of Whitsunday, said he had also applied to have the name reinstated, referring to a wider area. He said the name should be shared around so more people could benefit from it.

According to DERM, Captain James Cook coined the name Whitsunday's Passage during an expedition in 1770. Mr Francey believes the entire stretch of the coast Cook travelled during the Christian festival surrounding Whit Sunday has the right to use the name.

"If you look at where (Captain James) Cook sailed from Pentecost Eve to Whit Tuesday he essentially sailed from around the St Lawrence wetlands to Cape Upstart," he said.

"That is a completely legitimate stretch of coastline to be called Whitsunday Coast."

Mr Francey believes the name "Whitsundays" should only apply to island areas, however, he wants it extended to include Lindeman, Pentecost and Gloucester islands and the coastline from Midge Point to Bowen.

"Nobody's talking about abolishing Whitsundays... Whitsundays is an iconic name (but) it should be applied to its proper area.

"The Whitsunday name is sufficiently iconic, and because of its association with the Christian festival, in the spirit of sharing it around rather than creating a monopoly for an inappropriately restrictive area, why can't it be applied... to the coast, islands (and) hinterland, reserving always the iconic name Whitsundays for those absolutely beautiful islands and Australian waters to the north?"

In yesterday's Daily Mercury, Whitsunday Mayor Mike Brunker and Tourism Minister and Member for Whitsunday Jan Jarratt described the discussion as a waste of time.

However, Mr Francey, who has written a book about the Whitsundays and its history, says it's important.

The area from Shute Harbour to Cannonvale had the monopoly on the term Whitsunday and could take those in other areas who used the term to task, he said.